Stilt footrest



Oct. 2 8, 1969 E H ETAL 3,475,022

STILT FOOTREST Filed March 7, 1967 INVENTORS: PAUL E- HANSEN gem/(4w 1? Gav/N 42 H 6 BY AV H. CRAWFURD United States Patent 3,475,022 STILT FOOTREST Paul Edward Hansen, P.O. Box 121, Phelan, Calif. 92371; Ray H. Crawford, 571 th St., Imperial Beach, Calif. 92032; and Franklin P. Gwin, 118 5th Ave., Chula Vista, Calif. 92010 Filed Mar. 7, 1967, Ser. No. 621,200 Int. Cl. A63b 25/00 US. Cl. 27270.2 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A stilt footrest having at one side a bore adapted to be a casting or the like. At one side of the footrest it has a bore adapted to be fitted over a conventional wooden clothes hanger pole. The bore is of slightly larger diameter than the clothes hanger pole and on the inside of it are oppositely disposed upper and lower teeth or tangs which can bite into the wooden pole. This particular configuration allows angular tilting of the footrest relative to the pole to disengage the tangs and to allow shifting of the footrest to any elevation on the pole. When weight is applied to the footrest it tilts slightly in the opposite direction so that the tangs engage the pole firmly holding it in position. Preferably a coil spring is provided which wraps around the pole and attaches to the lower side of the foot rest to provide bias resisting disengaging tilting of the footrest.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to stilt footrests. The device is a one piece stilt footrest which can be fabricated as a casting for example and which is adapted to cooperate with an ordinary wooden clothes hanger pole to form stilts.

As stated, the device is formed in one piece providing a footrest portion having at one side thereof a part or portion having a bore to receive the clothes hanger pole. This part of the footrest is disposed or formed at an angle preferably upwardly, with respect to the footrest portion of the device. Within the part having the bore are upper and lower oppositely disposed teeth or tangs which can be brought into and out of engagement with the clothes hanger pole by tilting of the device. The tilting is permitted by reason of the fact that the part of the device having the bore is angularly disposed with respect to the footrest part, and by reason of the bore being only slightly larger than the diameter of the clothes hanger pole.

In the light of the foregoing, the primary object of the invention is to make available an extremely simple and inexpensive but very effective one piece device or member, which can be used with ordinary poles such as wooden clothes hanger poles to form stilts. A further object is to provide such a device which is very readily adjustable to any position on the pole to adjust the stilt height and which will securely and safely hold in any position.

A further object is to provide a device as set forth in the foregoing including a coil spring attached to the device and wrapped around the pole to bias the device into holding position on the pole.

Further objects and additional advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a preferred form of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the device;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the device of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the device;

FIGURE 5 is a view partly in section illustrating the tilting of the device to release it;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 5 showing the device in holding position on the pole.

3,475,022 Patented Oct. 28, 1969 The drawings show a preferred form of the device which is fabricated as a one piece unit. It may be formed as a casting from aluminum or other similar material. The device is indicated as a whole by the numeral 10 in the drawings. It comprises a foot rest portion configurated to form a fiat footrest or platform 12 having an upturned and rounded end flange as designated at 14. Underneath the platform 12 is an integral supporting rib 16 having a rounded bottom surface or edge 18.

Integral with the footrest portion of the device is a part or portion 22 which is disposed at an angle to the footrest portion of the device. The portion 22 is in the form of a bushing having a bore 24, the axis of which is normal to the horizontal surface 12 of the footrest. However, as stated, this portion is disposed at an angle to the footrest portion, and the bushing has an upper slating or angular surface 26, and a lower slanting or angular surface 28. As explained, the device is a one piece unit, the bushing part 22 being integral with the supporting surface 12 and web part 16.

The device is intended to be used with a round pole for example, a wooden clothes hanger pole. Such poles are made of relatively soft wood and may have a diameter for example of approximately an inch and a half. The bushing 22 is made to have a bore 24 of slightly larger diameter than the diameter of the pole with which the device is used. Such a pole is shown at 32 in FIGURES S and 6. Tangs or teeth are formed within the bushing part 22 to engage with the wooden pole holding the footrest in position. 'One of these tangs or teeth is designated at 34, this tang being on the inside of the bushing 22 at the upper edge of the outer part thereof and directly opposite the footrest surface 12. Numeral 36 designates a second similar tang on the inside of the bushing 22 at the lower part of the inner surface of the bore 22 but also aligned with the supporting surface 12 of the footrest.

FIGURES 3, 4 and 6 show the footrest in holding position on the pole 32. Numeral 40 designates a coil spring which is wrapped around the pole 32 and the ends of which are secured to a bolt or rivet 42 at the underside of the web 16 of the footrest as shown. The spring 48 is under tension and urges the footrest in a counter-clockwise direction holding it in its horizontal supporting position on the pole 32.

The footrest may be very easily disengaged from its firm holding position and adjusted to any elevation on the pole 32 and secured thereat. FIGURE 5 shows the footrest tilted slightly in a counter-clockwise direction against the biasing force of the spring 40. It will be observed that in this position both the tangs or teeth 34 and 36 disengage from the pole 32, the side walls of the bore 24 as shown being spaced from the outside of the pole 32. In this position the footrest can be very readily raised or lowered to any desired elevation, the coil spring 40 of course simply slipping along the pole 32. When the footrest has been positioned at the desired elevation it is again simply rotated slightly into a horizontal position. In this position the tangs 34 and 36 bite into the relatively soft wood of the pole 32 so that the footrest is held firmly in position. It will be observed that when weight is placed on the footrest it tends to rotate the footrest further in a counterclockwise direction thereby increasing the force of engagement of the bushing 22 and the tan'gs 34 and 36 with the pole 32 and making the engagement even more secure. It will be observed that by reason of the angular configuration the position of the bushing 22 relative to the surface 12 of the footrest, the tang 34 is above the level of the supporting surface 12 and the tang or tooth 36 is below this level. Accordingly, when the footrest is tilted or rotated angularly about a center substantially at the inner end of the supporting surface 12, the tang 34 being above this center, moves away from the pole 32 and the tang 36 being below this center also moves away from the pole, the bore 24 being just sufficiently larger than the diameter of the pole 32 to facilitate this action. Upon tilting the footrest back and applying weight thereto the footrest again firmly en gages the pole as described and as shown in FIGURE 6.

From the foregoing those skilled in the art will observe and appreciate the manner in which the invention is utilized, and the manner in which it accomplishes and realizes the objects and advantages as set forth in the foregoing, as well as the numerous additional advantages that are apparent from the detailed description. The device is extremely simple and inexpensive but yet ideally effective and suitable for its purpose. Stilts can be readily assembled by anyone skilled in the art merely fitting the footrest units or devices over poles and adjusting them to the desired level. The device is held firmly and safely in position, the weight which is applied thereto tending to increase and enhance the security of the engagement of the footrest with the pole.

The foregoing disclosure is representative of a preferred form of the invention and is to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than limiting sense, the invention to be accorded the full scope of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A device forming a stilt footrest comprising a normally horizontally disposed part forming a foot support, said foot support including a vertically extending body having a generally fiat foot support surface on the upper edge thereof, a part attached to the foot support and providing a generally cylindrical bushing adapted to receive a stilt pole, said bushing having a bore therethrough disposed with the axis thereof normal to the plane of said foot support surface, said bore being larger in diameter than said pole and extending from the bottom edge of said foot support body to a substantial distance above said foot support surface, said bushing having generally parallel upper and lower inclined end surfaces lying in planes disposed at an angle to the plane of said foot support surface, the lower ends of said upper and lower end surfaces extending upwardly from the upper and lower edges of said foot support, respectively, said bushing having at least two projections on the interior thereof, one of said projections being spaced vertically above and the other being spaced vertically below the foot support surface, said projections being aligned with the length of said foot support and being opposite each other in said bushing, and a coiled spring having both its ends secured to the bottom edge of said foot support to form a loop for receiving said pole, whereby the device may be tilted upwardly against the force of said coil spring to disengage the projections from the pole for adjusting the elevation of the device, and whereby when the device is in the horizontal position of the foot support, the said spaced projections engage the pole and firmly secure the device in position on the pole.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein the diameter of the bore of the bushing is in excess of the diameter of the pole an amount equal to approximately twice the extent of one of said projections.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 175,407 3/1876 Beaumont 272-702 176,779 5/1876 Ebert 27270.2 351,294 10/1886 Stillman 272-70.2 652,503 6/1900 Benjamin 27270.2 1,571,919 2/1926 Boardman 272-70.l

'RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner RICHARD W. DIAZ, Assistant Examiner 

